Wanted: Dead or Alive
by Caspar Rainbow
Summary: ONE-SHOT What happened when Tim Shepard went to go visit Dallas Winston in the hospital the day of the rumble? You'll soon find out. Rated T for swearing.


**Disclaimer: I don't own The Outsiders**

**Author's Note**: I'm sort of basing this one-shot off of the movie, since in the book Dallas didn't throw away his hospital gown. However, I know in the movie he threw off the gown right before Ponyboy and Two-Bit came, but I'm making it so he threw it off right before Tim Shepard came. It's not a drastic change or anything but just so people don't get confused. Also, I don't know for sure if Dally knew about the rumble or not in the hospital, but I'm making it so Tim Shepard tells him. Enjoy!

_Tick…  
Tock…  
Tick…  
_  
"FUCK!" Dallas hollered in annoyance as he took the alarm clock from his nightstand and with his good arm, whipped it across the room, smirking when he heard the ticking stop abruptly.

"Stupid frickin' piece of shit…" he muttered under his breath as he lay down once more, making sure to pull the white fuzzy blanket right over his head. More than anything he just wanted to disappear completely. Hospitals always made him depressed. Maybe it was the unbearable silence through-out, or the fact that everything in the fuckin' hospital was white.

Everything!

The only thing that reached Dallas' ears was the squeaking of the nurses' shoes walking up and down the halls and the occasionally beeping of heart monitors from somewhere down the hall. It was driving him crazy. No one kept Dallas Winston cooped up, especially at the hospital. Hospitals were like prison to him, only worse. In the joint, at least he got decent food instead of the shit they serve there, and it was loud. Inmates shouting at each other sounded a lot better compared to the squeaking of old ladies' shoes. Plus, in the cooler, he actually got a jumpsuit to wear, but here, they gave him a friggin' dress, and it made him look like a pansy.

Dallas Winston was no pansy.

After a few more minutes of feeling sorry for himself, he finally sat up in the bed and took off the gown they gave him. He didn't need to wear that cheap ass fabric. More than anything he wanted his usual ripped jeans and jean jacket, but that would never happen, so he figured the next best thing was to be in his underwear. Anything was better than that dress. He had a reputation to protect, even though no one was there to witness it.

Crumpling it up, he threw it as hard as he could at the ground, trying to take out some of his anger for being in the infirmary.

"I WANT OUT!" he screamed at the top of his lungs and then crawled out of bed, stalked over to the wall and punched it as hard as he could. It killed him being in here, and he knew the real reason why. He didn't know how Johnny was. That last time he'd seen him was after he'd pulled him out of the church and laid him beside Pony on the ground. That was the last sight he saw before he blacked out. He did see Ponyboy in the waiting room the day before though, and he was actually glad the kid wasn't dead. He hoped Johnny was just as lucky.

"Where's your gown?"

Dallas spun around on his heels, his eyes icy and fists clenched. He wasn't in the mood to talk to the short, plump lady standing in his doorway, waggling her finger from side to side. He hated nurses just as much as he hated hospitals, and that was definitely saying something.

"What's it to you?" Dally hissed, annoyed that she had even came in the first place. All nurses ever did was pester you; they never liked you and never cared.

The blond headed nurse waddled forward a little and put her hands on her hips.

"I asked you where your gown is," the nurse replied sternly, her brown eyes glaring into his blue ones. He didn't know what her problem was, but she was pissin' him off.

_'Why the hell does she give a shit if I'm wearin' my gown or not? Stupid bitch,'_ Dally thought cynically as he took one step towards her.

"Get the hell outta my room," he said calmly, but it was a peculiar type of calm. He wasn't peaceful in the least bit.

She just rolled her eyes and gave him a good glower.

"I can't wait 'til your outta here…"

"Just GET OUT! You make me sick," Dallas spat as he pointed to the door and then turned away and strutted back towards his bed. He was done with this conversation.

He was lying back in bed, blanket covering his lower half and his arms folded behind his head, his signature scowl on his face.

The nurse narrowed her eyes, and was about to step forward towards him, but then stopped. She just let out a frustrated grunt and threw her hands up in the air. She was just about to leave when she noticed the broken alarm clock at the foot of the bed.

Narrowing her eyes, her eyes darted back towards him, "Why is the alarm clock broken?"

Dally just shrugged, "I threw it away."

She just shook her head, picked up the pieces and threw them in the trash. Walking out, she repeated, "I'm going to be so glad when you're outta here!"

Dallas had to chuckle at that one. He wasn't expecting her to come in and cling to him as he was checked out.

"Hey man," A voice from the doorway said a few minutes later, and since Dallas wasn't really paying attention to the fact that it was a male voice, he thought it was the nurse.

Staring at the ceiling, he merely replied "I thought I told you to get the fuck outta my room, you bitch."

"What the hell is you're problem Winston? You're one fucked up kid." The voice spoke again, and this time Dallas looked to see who it was, and was surprised to see Tim Shepard standing right in the door.

"Shepard? What are ya doin' here?" Dally asked, in a taken back tone as he watched Tim pull up the white chair from the corner to his bed side, sitting down in it with a heavy thump.

"I don't know," Tim said secretively, "I just thought maybe you'd like to know that there's a rumble goin' down tonight in the vacant lot."

Dallas eyeballed Tim curiously. He looked like he was lying, by the was he slouched in the chair and his eyes darted side to side…it just made him look suspicious. Though, when he thought about it, he wasn't surprised. After the murder, he'd seen the rivalry flare up between both sides. Heck, even Two-Bit was jumped a few days ago. He was just irritated that he hadn't heard first, even if he was in the hospital. He always was the first to know things.

"Well, count me in Tim," Dallas replied, trying to cover the aggravation building inside of him.

Tim looked at him as if he were out of his mind. Maybe he was.

"No way Dal, you ain't goin' in this rumble. You can't fight with one arm and yer stuck in this fuckin' place. Did all the drugs they give you go to you're head or somethin'?"

Dally sighed and looked away, annoyed. He knew he couldn't have full use of his arm for another 2-3 weeks, but he craved for a rumble. He was itchin' to kick some soc ass. Even though his arm was burned he was going to be in that rumble, no questions asked. All he needed to do was but break outta there, and he was going to need a switch…maybe if Two-Bit came by later --

"Dallas? What the hell man? You must be on drugs."

He snapped out of his trance to stare at Tim, who was snapping his fingers in front of his face.

"Just thinkin' about the rumble, man. I'd hate to miss it," Dally said. He figured that he wouldn't tell Tim about what he was planning on doing. It'd be worth it to see the look on Tim's face when he showed up. Then again, Tim Shepard should know that he would never miss out on the chance to rub the socs' snobby, turned up noses into the dirt.

"Yeah, well tough luck kid. You're missin' it, and I ain't. I would hate to be you," Tim replied, grinning like there's no tomorrow. Figures Tim would show up just to rub it in Dally's face. He was used to it though; they both were.

Dallas just muttered a few curses under his breath and rolled over. It was quiet for a few moments, until Tim piped up, trying to spark another conversation.

"I read about ya in the paper, ya know…why in god's name would you, Dallas Winston, do somethin' like that?"

Dally slowly turned over. Tim just had an eyebrow cocked and propped his feet up on the bed with his hands behind his head.

To be honest, Dally didn't know he was in the paper, so he decided to ask him about it.

"What do you mean I was in the paper?"

Tim just smirked and rolled his eyes, "You were in the paper dumb ass, obviously. Savin' those kids from the church isn't gonna be an event unnoticed."

"I didn't save no goddamn kids, Pony and Johnnycakes did. I just got Johnny and Ponyboy outta there before the roof came crashin' down." Dallas replied coldly, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. He may have not cared about the kids all that much, but he sure as hell cared about the gang, even if he didn't show it.

"Well, anyways, I was just surprised that they didn't put "Wanted: Dead or Alive" as the caption under you're picture," Tim snickered.

It was Dallas' turn to roll his eyes, "Well Timmy, you're still stuck with me. Deal with it."

Tim just smiled and got up from the chair, stretching his arms over his head.

"Well, Dal, I'd love to stay," Tim drawled sarcastically as he started towards the door, "But I've got to go to River King territory and make sure Angel and her new boyfriend aren't suckin' faces."

Tim was just in the outside of the doorway, about to leave when he stopped. Spinning around slowly, he stuck his head back in the door.

"Hey, Dal?"

Dally's gaze on the ceiling was broken as he turned to look at Tim, cocking an eyebrow, silently saying 'What?'

Tim looked down for a moment, drumming his fingers against the door's border before looking back up smiling a little as he quietly said "I'm glad you're alive."

Dally just gave him a slight nod, smiling as well, "I'm glad too."

And with that, Tim turned and marched down the hallway, yelling at some innocent kid for cutting in front of him along the way.

* * *

_Read and review, please. It's my first time writing Dallas and Tim, so I don't know for sure if I did a good job or not. Flames are accepted, I can handle them._


End file.
